Potentiation of nephrotoxic serum nephritis in Lewis rats by Freund's complete adjuvant--possible role for cellular immune mechanisms.

Lewis rats receiving subnephritic doses of nephrotoxic serum (NTS) showed increased albuminuria and glomerular histopathologic alterations during the autologous phase of nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN) when they received simultaneous footpad injections of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). Lymph nodal lymphocytes from such experimental rats showed increased in vitro cellular sensitization to the nephrotoxic IgG as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation. Such a lymphocyte blastogenesis response was not detected in rats receiving the same doses of FCA or NTS alone. Antibody titers to the nephrotoxic rabbit IgG were not different in the two groups of rats as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The transfer of lymph nodal mononuclear cells from rats with NTN potentiated by FCA, was able to induce albuminuria and glomerular histopathologic alterations in recipients treated with NTS. In the above experimental model FCA appears to potentiate the autologous phase of NTN by cellular immune mechanisms.